Wednesday, 22 March 2017

Labour finally sign Death Warrant for Pontypridd as a retail centre.

I've got to hand it to Labour in RCT they have managed to spin years of failure to modernise Pontypridd Town Centre bu making an announcement just before the May election

Pontypridd used to be a major retail centre with thousand descending on the town on Wednesday's and Saturdays to visit the Market and shops.

Alas the outdoor market is a shadow of its former self and many of retail outlets are now Charity shops.

The final blow came When Marx and Spencer's closed.

The initial idea was to demolish the unloved and under occupied Taff Vale Precinct and replace it with a modern shopping complex.

Initial Plans meant that it may have looked like this

However having failed to get investors however the council were left with a building site and nothing to place on it.

So they have come up with a solution in which they will fill it with council buildings and replace what was a hideous monstrosity with another one

We are told a new Fitness Centre and Library are set to be created as part of the redevelopment of the former Taff Vale site in Pontypridd.

The Council has already allocated more than £3.5m in revitalising the strategic site in Pontypridd since it became the outright owner in April 2015 and is committed to delivering an office-led project. It will be delivered in three buildings – including a statement building at the entrance to Pontypridd. This building will house a new fitness facility and a new 21st Century library for the town. Pontypridd One4All Centre, which is currently located in Sardis House, will also be relocated to this facility. Visible progress has been made by contractors since they started demolishing the old precinct site in January, and the demolition process is due to be completed by the end of March 2017. To support the relocation of Pontypridd Library to the new development, scheduled to complete in 2019, the Council has submitted an application for capital funding of £300,000 to the Welsh Government’s Museums, Archives and Libraries Division.

The Council have been helped by the Welsh Labour Government with the announcement

Economy Secretary Ken Skate said

Hundreds of new jobs are set to come to Pontypridd as the town will be home to the new headquarters for Transport for Wales.Transport for Wales, the next rail franchise and South Wales Metro operator, will be located at the Taff Vale building in the town,

I wonder if we managed to have something like the previous plans how many jobs would have been created probably more than a few hundred.

So after years of failure the council have decided to more or leaa put its own building comprising of a new library despite closing a number of libraries in county and a fitness centre which might put some leisure centres under threat.

The local Labour MP Owen Smith and MP Mick Antoniw have tried to present this as a triumph but in reality it has ensured the end of Pontypridd Town centre as a retail centre .